Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for controlling an image forming apparatus using proximity wireless communication.
Description of the Related Art
Near field communication (NFC) that is proximity wireless communication (non-contact communication) has a very short communication distance, and the communication becomes available by bringing devices equipped with NFC close to each other within several [cm]. Technologies using the NFC include “smart poster”, for example. In the smart poster, an NFC tag in which information is written is attached to a poster. An NFC reader/writer reads the information from the NFC tag when brought close to the NFC tag. For example, an NFC tag in which a uniform resource locator (URL) of an official site of a movie is written is attached to a poster of the movie. A user reads the URL from the NFC tag attached to the poster with a portable information processing apparatus equipped with the NFC reader/writer, such as a smart phone. Accordingly, the information processing apparatus can display the official site of the movie with a web browser. The information processing apparatus is equipped with the web browser in order to display the official site, in using a service by the smart poster. However, other special software is unnecessary.
Meanwhile, some image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine and a multifunction peripheral can transmit/receive data to/from the information processing apparatuses such as a personal computer (PC) and a smart phone through a network such as a local area network (LAN). Some of the image forming apparatuses include a remote user interface (RUI). The “RUI” provides an interface for remotely managing and operating the image forming apparatus by an external device like the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus can manage and operate, through the web browser, the image forming apparatus equipped with the RUI. The image forming apparatus has internal software (a web server) for the RUI. The information processing apparatus can remotely manage/operate the image forming apparatus without requiring special software other than the web browser. The user starts the web browser of the information processing apparatus, and specifies a URL of the RUI (for example, an internet protocol (IP) address) of the image forming apparatus. Accordingly, a web page (RUI screen) transmitted from the image forming apparatus is displayed on the web browser of the information processing apparatus. The user can perform confirmation of a status of the image forming apparatus or a job history, and various types of setting and the like, through the RUI screen displayed on the web browser. The RUI includes a general user mode and an administrator mode. When the RUI screen is displayed on the web browser, the user selects either the general user mode or the administrator mode on a top page of the RUI screen, and logs in. Setting and operations related to the management of the image forming apparatus can be performed only in the administrator mode. Therefore, while an input of a password is unnecessary when the user logs in to the general user mode, the input of a password is necessary when the user logs in to the administrator mode.
If the image forming apparatus and the information processing apparatus can perform communication by the NFC, the information processing apparatus can remotely manage/operate the image forming apparatus using the RUI and the NFC. In this case, both of the image forming apparatus and the information processing apparatus include the NFC reader/writer and the NFC tag. The information processing apparatus is a portable information terminal apparatus. The NFC tag of the image forming apparatus stores the URL of the RUI. The information terminal apparatus is brought close to the NFC tag of the image forming apparatus, reads the URL of the RUI by the NFC, and displays the RUI screen on the web browser by accessing the read URL.
By use of the RUI and the NFC in this way, the information processing apparatus can be used as a display device of the image forming apparatus, which displays the RUI screen. Such use is effective especially in an image forming apparatus that does not include a display device. Further, even in an image forming apparatus that includes the display device, a similar function to the display device can be realized by the information processing apparatus when the display device of the image forming apparatus is in use. Security between the image forming apparatus and the information processing apparatus is important in the remote management/operation by the information processing apparatus. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-155495, an image forming apparatus including an NFC reader/writer determines validity of a user based on certificate information of each user that is held in a device accessing the image forming apparatus by the NFC.
The user of the information processing apparatus that performs remote operation by the RUI needs to select either the general user mode or the administrator mode on the top page of the RUI screen and log in every time of an access. Further, when the user logs in to the administrator mode, the input of a password is necessary. This causes a decrease in operability of the user. Further, it is necessary to switch the screen in order from the top page of the RUI screen to an intended page. This also causes the decrease in operability of the user.